To my Nakama - forgive me
by Renillion
Summary: SPOILER ALERT: The story starts in the middle of One Piece chapter 843 reaching it's cliffhanger end, and goes to fiction from there. It's about Sanji, and the hard choices he had to make, regarding his nakama that found him. A slightly Sanji x Nami oriented story. NOTE: Now includes a story about ch. 845 as well.
1. Tribute to One Piece ch 843

**Well, I just read chapter 843 of One Piece when it came out,** **and it blew my mind** **. Seriously, the 2 weeks wait was worth it. I feel like so much happened in just this one chapter, and now I can't wait for the next one. When I went to bed that night, I found it so** _ **hard**_ **to go to sleep! My mind was just getting filled with ideas and theories on what will happen next! So this is a little something I wrote, in order to channel all those excessive thoughts :D. So far, this arc has been phenomenal for me, and it has helped me realize something about myself – I'm a SaNami shipper?! Lol**

 **So to summarize – the story starts at about halfway through the chapter, and continues from there to its end(I liked how it builds up drama), and into my wild imagination. :D**

 **NOTE: lines in italics –** " _like this" –_ **represent Sanji's thoughts.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not claim to have any rights to owning One Piece. 'Cause daaamn if I did, I would ruin it :D**

 **Happy reading!**

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"Is it just me, or are the people in the nearby town freaking out about something?" asked Yonji, wondering about what all the noise going on in the town is about.

"Perhaps they caught wind of our arrival, and couldn't contain themselves." commented Niji.

As the cat-carriage was steadily making its way through the forest area to Big Moms castle, Sanji could only silently lament on the crazy circumstances that had brought him to this bizarre scenario. Never… not even in his wildest nightmares did he thought that one day, he would return to his family like this. It was like they had him caged and locked away as a child, all over again. Betrothed to one of Big Moms daughters, with the sole purpose to serve his father's tyrannical ambitions.

Truly, he was sick to his stomach from all this. Not because of his fiancée, though. She seemed as sweet and nice as the pastries she baked. In fact, she was the only beacon of light in this dire mess he had gotten himself into. But the thoughts of the forced marriage, of becoming a part of Big Moms crew, of him doing all this in order to further the plans of his family… and of never seeing his old crew again, **all of that** was making him feel sick.

And there was absolutely nothing he could do about it, was there? Not with his hands – his treasure, bound in weird bracelets(more like shackles), ready to be taken away from him with just a mere push of a button. But even if he did somehow managed to take them off unscathed, he would still have no other options. They've threatened to kill some of the people he cherishes the most in this world – the chefs on the Baratie, along with old man Zeff, the only real father figure he has ever had in his life. He couldn't let that happen. He would never forgive himself, if it did. What's even worse is that, once they were done with the bloodshed on the Baratie, they would probably turn their heads to his crew with more threats and even more bloodshed, just the thought of it made him feel nauseous. This… all of this, was hopeless.

Then, the unthinkable happened.

"Lord Judge! An unidentified object is headed straight towards us, from the side!" spotted the carriage driver.

"HEEEEEY! SANJIIIIIIIIII! It feels like it's been forever!" a shout, not so far away, and all too familiar.

"What the-? How did that kid manage to close all that distance, so quickly?!" exclaimed Yonji.

" _Luffy?"_

"And what the hell is the deal with that huge ass tree behind him?! It's actually running!"

"Sanjiiiii! It looks like we made it just in the nick of time! I was so worried we would never see each other again!" a female voice, this time.

" _Nami-san?! What the hell is going on?!"_

"Why are they here?" Sanji's voice was barely a whisper.

The situation couldn't get any worse than this. His crew… had found him. His captain, looking happy now that he had found his chef, just blatantly stretches and closes the distance between himself and the carriage with great speed, almost managing to topple the carriage as he latched on to it, then he just starts rambling about why they were here, something about him wanting to come alone, but Nami insisted that she came as well, stuff about what was happening with the rest of the crew, explaining everything, all the while with a huge grin on his face, and blissfully ignoring everyone else on the carriage. It was kind of funny actually – to his captain, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. As if he was expecting him to just get out of the carriage, and head back to the Sunny with the rest of them. Such a tempting thought… yet impossible.

" _Why are you here, you idiot?! And why have you brought Nami-san as well?! Don't you all know how serious all of this is?! What if she gets hurt?!"_ Threats or no threats, if any of his brothers – those monsters touched even a hair on her head, he would kill them all ruthlessly.

" _I have to do something before things get out of hand. I'm really sorry about this Luffy."_ And with that, he delivered a swift kick to his unsuspecting captain's face, sending him flying at least 20 feet away.

"Hey now! What's the big idea Sanji?!" Nami was utterly confused by his actions.

"Leave… you filthy, lowly sea thugs. My name is Sanji Vinsmoke. I am prince of the Germa kingdom." His brothers were really enjoying the display. "I apologies for hiding it all from you until now, but I had my reasons… I didn't want you all to develop an inferiority complex, for being such worthless peasants when standing in my presence! As long as I stay here – wealth, soldiers, servants… all of it will be at my beck and call."

" _Please, just leave quietly without me."_

"Either I return to your ship and gallivant and roam the seas with you buffons… or I just stay put and live in eternal glory, with no need for absolutely nothing, with Big Mom's beautiful daughter by my side?"

" _I'd choose the first option in a heartbeat, if I could..."_

"I'm sure even the world's biggest idiot can tell which of the two, is the better option here! You guys really need to learn how to read between the lines… all that stuff I wrote in that letter, was just to soften the blow on you. I'm not going back!"

"To think you were dumb enough to come all the way here, well sucks to be you but it was all in vain… Now begone… wait, what was your name again?"

At this point, Nami looked like she was on the verge of tears. It was hard to believe what she was hearing right now.

" _I'm sorry, but there is no other way!"_

"Screw that! I'm not buying any of this shit!" Luffy was visibly pissed.

"Hahaha! This is so rich! Here, I'll help you get rid of these pests." Said Yonji, all too eager to start a fight.

"You stay out of this!" Sanji wasn't going to let that happen. "I will be the one… to take all this trash back to where they belong!"

"Damn it, Sanji! I don't want to hurt you, but I will knock you senseless unless you cut it out with this crap! We came all this way to get you, and this is the treatment we get?!"

"I don't remember asking anyone to 'come and get me'. Your own foolishness is what led you here, but I'll be more than happy to send you back!" He had barely finished his sentence, and in the next moment he was already next to Luffy, with his leg held high to deliver a strong axe kick to his head. The force from the kick made Luffy bounce lightly of the ground, and Sanji took the opportunity to kick him sideways while he was in the air, sending him at least another 10 feet back.

"Sanjiiii!" now vexed, Luffy started to counterattack. "Gomu Gomi no: Pistol!" Luffy let loose his trademark attack at Sanji, who managed to dodge it and lunged straight for Luffy again, but this time Luffy was ready for him – he dodged the incoming kick, and smashed his now armamented forehead against Sanji's – successfully stumbling him back. And Luffy wasn't done yet, he let loose another pistol towards the 'Prince of Germa', Sanji let the fist connect with his jaw this time, just because he felt like he deserved it.

" _Hehe, so much for that mask my sister gave me. At this rate, my face will get all bloated again."_

Immediately, he could tell Luffy was not at his best, judging by that punch. _"Looks like you've been fighting until recently. Well, I can't really say I'm in top shape myself, after that beating I had to take from those three idiots."_ The 'event' was still fresh on his mind. _"I really ought to think of a way to get back at them, once I'm done here."_

The 'fight' that ensued was gut-wrenching. Kicks and punches were all over the place, some dodged, some landing head on. Neither of the two fighters used their most potent attacks, yet it didn't feel like a normal sparring session either, they were both giving it all they got. Now 10 minutes into it, battered and bruised all over, they could tell that this was going nowhere. Sanji was currently having a hard time feeling his left arm. At some point, he had started to use his hands to block some of Luffy's incoming punches. His left hand had taken most of the brunt damage. He was also withholding himself from using Diable Jambe, out of fear of burning his captain, so it looked like the fight was going into Luffy's favor.

Nami continued to be a silent observer to everything that was happening. She felt hopeless as she watched two of the most important people to her fight each other. She couldn't stop her tears from flowing.

"Damn it Sanji, wake up! Why the hell are you being so stubborn?! What have those bastards done to you?!" Luffy wanted answers for all this.

"Absolutely nothing." was the answer. "I haven't been brainwashed or mind-controlled, if that's what you're thinking. I've just been reminded of what I truly am – royalty. Or in other words – better than you."

"It sure as hell sounds to me like you were brainwashed, though! The Sanji I know, would never spew bullshit like this!"

" _This is getting me nowhere. There's just no arguing with this idiot once he's set his mind on something. I have to think of something fast before my family becomes restless, and decide to join in."_

"Then just get it through your thick head – the Sanji you knew is gone!" Sanji bellowed.

At this, Luffy's face became contorted with rage. "No, he's not! He's standing right in front of me, acting like someone I don't know!" Luffy bend his knees, assuming the position he takes before he switches to second gear. "I already said, I'd bring you back, even if I have to knock you senseless!"

" _So, you're switching to second gear, Luffy? Are you perhaps, planning to end this quickly? The speed behind that form usually surprises many of your opponents, but I'm afraid it won't work so easily on me."_

"Gear: Second." Luffy bit his thumb, pressurizing his legs and arms, making him produce steam and giving his whole body that reddish-pink glow – his form known as second gear.

"This is your final warning Sanji! Just back down, and come to the ship with us! We can sort through all this shit later! Don't make me use this against you!"

" _He sounds pretty mad. If I play my cards right, I might throw him off his game and put an end to this fight."_

"Luffy…" he began. _"What do I say to make his temper go over the edge?"_

"What? You've got something to say for yours-"

"This fight will end differently, than how your battle with Usopp did, back at Water 7."

That did it. Luffy's eyes went wide with shock and anger at the blunt statement. He was stunned by the pure effort Sanji was making to stay here, and not go back with them. Didn't he want to come back? Why was this happening to his crew… _again!_

"NO. IT. WON'T!" exclaimed Luffy, now charging at Sanji. "Gomu Gomu no: Jet Pistol!"

Sanji knew that the spot he was standing on was in danger the moment Luffy yelled. He went up to the skies, right before the attack could connect.

" _Sky Walk!"_

"I'm not letting you get away that easily!" now standing where Sanji had been, Luffy was already preparing to launch straight at him again, using his legs as springs and catapulting himself after him with his now, almost instantaneous speed. "Gomu Gomu no: Jet Bazooka!"

" _Now's my chance! You shouldn't have come to the sky, Luffy!"_

It was over in an instant. Sanji used his Observation Haki to see Luffy's flying trajectory, and Sky Walked to dive towards him, intercepting him in midair and ruining Luffy's attack momentum, thus successfully catching him off guard, and landing an armament enhanced kick straight into Luffy's head, sending him back to the ground, unconscious. The sheer force and speed momentum from the blow could have killed any normal man, but not Luffy of course. He'll probably just be knocked out for 2 - 3 hours.

Sanji landed next to his now incapacitated captain.

" _A shallow victory… I'm really sorry about this Luffy… but too much is at stake here, so I can't let you do what you want."_

Several clapping hands started to sound from the carriage. It was his brothers…

"Nice going there, Sanji." commented Ichiji.

"Yeah, way to go bro! I knew you had it in you!" came in Niji with the second comment.

Yonji could barely hold his laughter. "That… face he made… when he got totally pissed… I swear, it was priceless, haha!"

Reiju on the other hand… could only look upon the scene that was unfolding before her with a frown on her face. She truly felt bad for her little brother and what he just had to go through, but she also knew he had no other options. If the rest of them had to intervene… then that Straw Hat kid would've ended up dead.

Sanji turned a chilling glare towards his brothers, who were still mockingly clapping.

"We're done here. My fiancée awaits. Let's go." Sanji had lost his cigarette during the fight, so he light up a new one with his still good right hand, and started heading back towards the carriage.

"Not quite." his father, finally deciding to make his persona present. "We still have one more perpetrator on our hands." he said, fixing his gaze at the top of the tall living tree, to a certain girl.

Sanji's eyes widened with shock and realization. _"Nami-san. I almost forgot about her."_ Normally, that would be impossible for him, this just proved how dire the situation was.

"Hurry up and deal with her as well… or would you rather I send one of your brothers, instead?"

"Yeaaaah! I wouldn't mind taking a turn with that beauty over th-"

"NO!" Sanji bluntly interrupted Niji. "I said I will deal with them. They are my responsibility!"

"Aww come on! I'm sure there's enough of her to go around!" countered Yonji.

Sanji's glare became menacing, almost deathly even. "If you go near her… there won't be enough left of you to go anywhere…"

The threat actually sent a shiver down Yonji's spine. He knew their brother had come back far stronger than he used to be after all these years, because he was the unlucky one who had to fight him 1 on 1, and that… didn't go so well for Yonji's face.

"Sanji is right. They are his responsibility. Go now, boy."

Sanji started to make his way towards the huge living tree, albeit rather slowly, all the while trying to massage his left arm in order to get it to feel again. He needed some time to think. What should he say? What should he do? Should he try to explain his circumstances to her? Would they be far away from earshot distance from the rest for him to do that?

" _Why do I have a feeling… that this is going to be harder than my fight with Luffy…"_

Nami had managed to take control over her sobbing by now, and after wiping her tear-stricken face with her hand one final time, she said "Take me down, King Baum."

The large tree, seemingly noticing that the situation was serious, decided to withhold any snide comments like he normally would give her, and simply did what he was told. "Whatever you say, girl." He lifted his hand to the top of his head, allowing her to climb on to it, then gently descended her to the ground.

They were standing in front of each other now. The only girl he will ever _truly_ love. Even though he was happy that she had come so far to see him, he really wished she wasn't here right now. This was making things at least 10 times harder for him.

"Nami-"

"Ok, I get it. This is about 'it', right? You want me to say 'it', and that's why you're doing all this. Well ok, you win. 'I love you', there I said it! Now stop acting like a jerk, and just come back with us!" she was angry at him.

Sanji was rather surprised by her outburst. _"Is she referring to those times, like in Alabasta and Enies Lobby where I would save her and ask if she 'loves me more now?' Hehe… is this really how our final conversation should start?"_

"Sanji-"

"Nami-san… just leave this place. Take Luffy, and then take Chopper and Brook and go back to the rest of the crew without me." he tried to give her a reassuring smile "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine."

She just kept solemnly looking at him. "You're faking all this, aren't you? I can tell you definitely aren't brain-washed, otherwise you would've attacked me by now. So… you're doing this… to yourself. How have they taken such a hold on you, Sanji-kun? Have they threatened us, or maybe somebody else close to you? Just tell me what's going on, we can help you!"

That's his Nami-san for ya, always a step ahead than the rest. But he couldn't let her get involved with that crazy bunch known as his family, it would be the end of her.

"Tell Luffy and the others that I've turned over a new leaf, that I've become one of those 'noble' scums he hates. Find a new chef for the crew, and just forget about me."

"How could you even think I would do something like that?! If you really think I'll do it, then you're an even bigger idiot than I thought you were!" her eyes became watery again. Her feelings were getting in her way, and she didn't want that. This whole situation shouldn't be happening in the first place!

"Please… the only way I can ensure your safety, is if you leave as soon as possible. I've already made my choice Nami-san. Do this for me, I'm begging you." It was like his soul was getting crushed as he was speaking. Nothing would have made him happier at that moment, than to just reach out to her, embrace her, tell her that everything would be back to normal… yet that was the sole thing he couldn't do.

Nami was crying rivers again, at this point. This was too heartbreaking to bear. "Alright… I just have one question for you, before we leave."

Glad that she had agreed to go, he waited expectantly for her question.

"Do you love her?"

" _Huh? She's asking me if I love my fiancée?"_ He honestly did not expect that. Why would it matter? There should be no harm if he answered her truthfully, right?

"There's… no way I could love someone I've only met for 10 minutes. Besides, that special place in my heart has been taken by somebody else a long time ago."

"And… who is she?" she asked between sobs.

"You said 'just one' question Nami-san. Not two." He gave her a knowing smile. "But she's a lot closer, than you think."

Her eyes went wide with the realization.

"Now please go, I'm beginning to sense my brothers bloodthirst. This has taken long enough time." he turned his head to her one last time, before leaving "Stay safe, good luck with all your dreams, and know that my thoughts are always with you guys." and so he left her.

Nami proceeded to wipe her tears from her face, and pull herself together again. She might have been an emotional wreck at that moment, but she wasn't an idiot. There were too many enemies before her, and they were strong. Luffy was knocked out, and Sanji was worn out himself. They still had time. She would retreat with Luffy, help him recuperate and meet up somehow with Chopper and Carrot, then stop Sanji from making this mistake.

She turned to the large tree behind her "King Baum, help me carry Luffy away."

The tree only nodded, helped her back up on top of his head, and went to retrieve the fallen boy.

Sanji had reached the carriage by now.

"You didn't attack her." snidely commented Niji.

"I'm not an animal like you."

"What was that?!"

"Let's just go. They won't be bothering us anymore." Sanji was getting tired of talking to him.

Niji grinded his teeth, but then calmed down "Oh fine, I'll let this slide and let them go. You can consider this to be my wedding gift for you, brother."

"Good. I wouldn't want anything else from you anyway."

"You little-!"

"Enough! We're going." their father's orders were absolute.

As the carriage started heading towards the castle again, the one who was contemplating the most about what had just happened was surprisingly, Sanji's father – Judge. Especially when his son went to talk to that girl – Cat Burglar Nami, if he remembered correctly. He had paid close attention to their conversation, in order to make sure that nothing compromising to his plans was said. Apparently, his son was smitten by the girl, and judging by her words and actions – it was probably mutual. All of a sudden, his mind was filled with thoughts of his younger days… of a woman he loved more than anything… the same woman that had blessed him with 5 children, even though one of them was sort of a dud. Has that dud, really found the same thing he had found so many years ago?

For the first time in a long time now, Judge started to have doubts about his plans.

" _Could this wedding, actually be a mistake?"_ he thought.

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 **Whew… that was actually kind of hard to wright. The feels were for reals. Obviously I don't expect this to actually happen in the next few chapters(Luffy will most probably beat Sanji in reality XD) but I'm happy with how it turned out.**

 **Again – keep in mind that English is not my mother language, so there are bound to be some mistakes, here and there.**

 **Oh, and if you enjoyed the read – don't forget to leave a review. I can take flames and everything else you throw at me XD**


	2. Tribute to One Piece ch 845

**Something smells fishy to me with ch. 845 people. I really doubt that Sanji is planning to get married. It's like Oda is telling me - Sanji knows that Luffy and Nami are in danger, but he's just gonna sit and wait on his ass till the next day to get married? Not happening. That's just not the Sanji I've known for 800+ chapters. He must be planning** _ **something**_ **. And this is my wild take on that something.**

 **NOTE: lines in italics –** " _like this" –_ **represent Sanji's thoughts.**

 **Disclaimer: I hereby claim to have no rights of ownership of One Piece. That treasure belongs to Oda-sensei, and I am deeply sorry for soiling it like this. XD**

 **Have fun reading!**

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"If you really don't mind it being me then… tomorrow… let's do it. Let's get married." stated Sanji, keeping a firm hold on the girl in his hands.

"Really Sanji? You're ok with it?" she nervously returned his hug.

"Yes. I've realized that there is no point in struggling anymore. If I want my family to leave alone my loved ones in East Blue, then this marriage is the only way."

"You won't regret it, I promise. I'll make sure of that." she told him, as she gave him a slight squeeze.

"Thank you Pudding, for everything." slowly he let go of her, then took the mask he had peeled of his face and started to re-attach it. "Well, I think I should probably leave you to get some rest. Big day tomorrow, right?"

"Yes, yes! Ohhhh, I'm so excited for tomorrow now!" Funny. Wasn't she sad just a minute ago? All of a sudden her character had become bubbly.

"Please try to get some sleep, though. Or maybe you want to have huge bags under your beautiful eyes for the wedding?" he was done putting the mask back on, by now.

"Heavens no! You're terrible Sanji!" she puffed her cheeks at him.

"Haha… sweet dreams Pudding." he turned towards the direction of the door. When he reached it and turned its handle, her voice stopped him.

"Wait a second, Sanji."

"What is it?" he turned towards her.

She shyly came closer to him with a gentle smile on her face and stood on her tiptoes to give him a peck on his cheek when she reached him.

"Sweet dreams to you too."

Sanji seemed oddly unfazed by the gesture, but he graced her with a smile of his own, and excused himself from her room.

Now standing outside in the hallway, his smile quickly faded and he simply stared at the door for a good 10 seconds.

" _Sorry for deceiving you like that… but you weren't exactly honest with me either."_ He turned to his left and made his way through the extremely long hallway, lithered with numerous doors. He knew exactly where he was headed.

" _You certainly have some interesting powers, I'll give you that. I have no idea how you managed to fool everyone else, and hid that third eye… but nothing escapes_ _ **my**_ _Observation Haki at the moment. I've been on high alert almost constantly since I've arrived on this island. Your illusions won't work on me."_

Sanji knew that there was something odd when Pudding requested they talk privately in her quarters. Honestly, there was nothing 'private' about it. The room was full of those living inanimate objects – 'homies' as everyone here called them. In fact, they were all over the entire castle. Sanji was positive that these homies somehow relayed information back to Big Mom, that's why he didn't take any chances, and only said what Pudding and Big Mom would want to hear from him.

True to his word, he had carefully weighed all of his options, but he certainly didn't plan to just 'go with the flow'. Maybe at some point, he had considered marrying Pudding in order to secure Zeff's safety, but that was out of the question now that he knew Luffy, Nami and the others were on the island… and a whole army was marching to find them. He had to act fast. But first things first – he had to get rid of the bracelets on his hands.

" _I sure hope this crazy idea of mine works. Those homies are probably already babbling all my words from Pudding's room to Big Mom."_

And that's exactly where he was headed. To the Yonko's chamber. At least it wasn't hard for him to guess which one was her own. When they had entered the castle, they were led to a large (more like huuuuge) staircase, and at the very top of it there was a door that was roughly half the size of the Gates of Justice in his opinion (though maybe that was a bit of an overstatement?). It just **had** to lead to Big Mom's chamber. On both sides of the so called 'gate', there was a long chain of smaller doors each separated by several feet of distance from each other. He had soon realized that those probably led to her children's quarters.

" _This hallway seems to stretch endlessly… exactly how big is this family?!"_

As he walked, two figures heading his way appeared in the distance. Two of her children without a doubt, just talking to each other and going to their own rooms. They didn't pay him much attention when they passed by him, but Sanji was intrigued by their conversation.

"…like that Jimbei fellow. I can't believe he even thought of double-crossing Mama like that. If you ask me, he got what he deserved."

"Yeah. I went to see him in the dungeon today. He sure seems to be taking his punishment hard! I almost felt sorry for him!"

"Hahaha, yeah I'm sure you did!"

They were getting further away from him. But what he heard was enough for Sanji to stop for a few seconds and think.

" _Jimbei? He's here? Come to think of it, when we parted ways at Fishman island, he did mention he had some business to take care of, before he could join our crew. I'm guessing 'business' didn't go so well for him, since he was locked up in their dungeon. And they mentioned he was punished?"_ Sanji shuddered at the thought. He had a pretty good idea of how vicious Big Mom's punishments could be.

" _Maybe I could use this to my advantage."_ The gears in Sanji's head were already turning, searching for a way to include Jimbei into his plan. He resumed walking.

And soon, he found himself in front of his destination. A giant gate – door (seriously, this was pissing him off. He didn't know what to call it!) ornamented in gold, silver and… candy instead of jewels? This place was seriously screwed up.

" _It's now or never. I have to be as convincing as possible."_ He took a few deep breaths, knowing this wasn't going to be easy, and mentally prepared himself.

He knocked three times.

…

"Come in, Sanji." A demanding voice, beckoned him in.

" _So she even knew I was coming to see her? Did the homies in the hallway tell her where I was headed?"_ It was hard to escape the gaze of a Yonko indeed.

He proceeded to enter the Emperor's chamber, only to be stunned by the sheer size of it. Granted, Big Mom was rather large, and would need suitable space, but this was just overkill. There were even two staircases, placed symmetrically to each other on both sides of Big Mom's throne that led to a second floor. Many portraits lithered the walls, both small and larger ones. Most were of her children, but she had quite a few of her own as well. Hanging at the center of the room was a large golden chandelier, decorated with candles and… the candles were homies? Sanji also counted the room to have, what could only be described as - twelve small candy soldier-servants. The floor he was standing on, was a checkered tile made of black and white… crackers. This was without a doubt, one of the weirdest places he had been to, in his whole life.

What probably surprised him the most was seeing Big Mom, who was currently positioned on her magnificent throne – wearing glasses and reading a book? She didn't even pay any attention to him, she just kept reading.

He calmly approached her.

" _Better to start this casually."_

"Is that a good novel you're reading?" he asked.

"It's not a novel. I hired one of the best authors in the world to write a biography about my life and my dream." She still kept reading.

"Oh really? And how is it turning out?"

She then removed her glasses, and closed the covers of the rather large book. "It's garbage. Not even close to catching the essence of my existence, or my wonderful intentions. I'll have him killed for this insult." She tossed the object behind her, and a few seconds later one of the servants picked it up and disposed of it.

The action irked him.

" _How could someone choose to end a life for a reason as stupid as that?"_

"So… what brings you here my boy?" She gave him her full attention now, and he reminded himself that now was the time for him to be as focused as possible. After all, he was in the presence of one of the Emperors.

"Pardon my sudden appearance, but I was wondering if I could use one of your kitchens, if it's not too much of a problem? I'm feeling kind of nervous about tomorrow, and cooking has always helped me to relax. Maybe you would even like to try one of my meals?" His speech was formal, and he tried to make his expressions as earnest as possible.

"That sounds like a wonderful idea!" Unsurprisingly, the Yonko became ecstatic at the mention of food. "I was just about to order some food to be prepared, but now I really want to see what my little girl's future husband is capable of! I have a grand kitchen right here, through the west wing door." She pointed with her hand towards one of the doors in her chamber. Sanji hadn't even noticed that the chamber had several extra wings, other than the main one. "You are free to use it, as long as I get to watch you work!"

" _Perfect…"_ She probably wanted to keep an eye on him, in order to make sure he didn't poison the food or something. But that wasn't his intention at all.

"Thank you, really. It would be my pleasure to cook for one of the Emperors." Sanji thanked her, as they both approached and entered the kitchen. He quickly noticed that he had everything that he would need. Pots, pans, cooking utensils, stoves… five large refrigerators labeled with the types of food they were loaded? OK, moving on. He proceeded to wash his hands and started to gather the things that he would need on one large table.

"Come now, there is no need to be so modest with me boy. By the end of tomorrow, we'll all be one big family after all. I'm sure that you'll be very happy with my daughter. I can see that you've already taken a liking to her." Big Mom decided to make herself comfortable on one rather large chair in the kitchen, and watched with interest everything that Sanji was doing.

"Pudding really is a very charming girl." Said Sanji, with a smile.

" _She even managed to 'charm' my friends, without them noticing..."_

"I truly hope I will be able to make her happy." His acting had to be flawless.

"The two of you are more compatible than you think. Trust me, I have a sixth sense for these things. You'll be fine." For now, it looked like his act was working. She was trying to reassure him, which was a good thing.

In all honesty, it really looked like this was just a normal, comforting conversation between a man and his caring, future mother-in-law. If they were being watched, no one would have realized that one of them is actually a hostage…

They kept going with their pleasant small talk while Sanji was cooking… when he decided it was probably a good time to implement his plan. He just had to make it look like an accident.

He finished slicing some vegetables on a cutting board, and was going to add them to the steaming broth for the soup he was making. When he lifted the lid from the pot, and proceeded to dump the vegetables in it, he let one of his hands lingering under the steam coming out of the pot. The steam quickly heated the metal bracelet on his hand and burned him. He jerked his hand away from the offensive steam.

"Are you alright, Sanji?!" Big Mom got up from her chair, with a troubled look on her face.

"Yes, I'm fine. Just got a little burned. My apologies, it seems these bracelets are making me feel more nervous than I thought. I hope they don't tamper with my cooking too much." He tried to look hurt as he inspected his burned hand, and waited for Big Mom's reaction.

" _Come on… take the bait."_

"My word, we can't possibly let that happen! You just wait here a few seconds. I'll go get the key for them."

" _Bingo!"_

Just like she had said, Big Mom quickly left the kitchen and was soon back with the key in hand. She then went to him and used it to unlock both bracelets from his hands.

"Honestly, I have no idea why that father of yours decided to put these things on you! It's true that I gave them to him, just in case you weren't so cooperative… but ever since you've arrived, all I've seen is an upstanding young man, and you obviously have nothing against this marriage." She explained, while she discarded the bracelets and took her place on the chair again.

Grateful to have been freed from the dreaded bracelets, Sanji replied "I guess my father can be a little paranoid at times."

" _Having megalomania can do that to ya…"_

He then continued with the dinner preparations, and was done without any further interruptions. He had prepared quite a lot of dishes. _Somehow_ , he suspected she had an appetite that rivaled even Luffy's…

They were back in her main chamber now, and as soon as he had presented all of his dishes on the large table laid in front of her, Big Mom had started to thoroughly devour everything on it.

He was a little conflicted at the moment. The fact that he had to cook for one of his oppressors made him feel displeased, but he also enjoyed the thought that his cooking was being appreciated.

" _I think it's probably a good time to bring up Jimbei now."_

"By the way, I heard some of your children discuss that you're keeping the shichibukai Jimbei in your dungeon." He was trying to be nonchalant now.

Big Mom's mood turned slightly sour at the mention of the warlord's name. She ceased eating, and fixed her gaze on Sanji. "Jimbei… that wretch. Do you know him?"

"I've only seen him from a distance. We've never spoken, but I have read about him in a newspaper. All I know, is that he is one of the seven warlords, and that he supposedly worked for you. That is why I wondered why he was imprisoned."

" _That's right, remain neutral on the subject… she mustn't find out that I have a connection to Jimbei."_

"He does work for me. But that ungrateful fool was actually planning on leaving my family! I had him punished severely and thrown into the dungeon for it!" Just the thought of betrayal obviously sent her on a rage roller-coaster… If she knew what Sanji was planning, she'd go ballistic.

"Yet, he's still alive? Wouldn't it have been easier to just kill him?" he asked.

Big Mom let out a sadistic laugh. "Mamamama… the thought did cross my mind, but he's a strong fighter, and his crew of fishmen are indeed useful allies. Like I said, he's already been punished. Now I'll just let him rot in his cell until he changes his mind about leaving."

Sanji rubbed his chin, pretending to contemplate on her statement. Finally he asked: "Then… perhaps I could speed up the process?"

"Speed it up? And how would you do that?" Big Mom looked intrigued.

"I'm guessing he's probably been left to starve down there. If you let me go talk to him and offer him a warm meal, I'm sure I could convince him to stay at your side. You'd be surprised at how persuasive I can be." He sure hoped he wasn't crossing any lines with his statements.

"Interesting… and why would you do something like that for me?" So far, so good. Now it was time for the final pitch.

" _You've gotta say it like you mean it Sanji… so here goes nothing."_

"I want to use this situation to prove my loyalty. To show you that I have only good intentions about this marriage. And that my only goal is to further cement the good relations between our two families."

A sort of awkward silence filled the room after that. Big Mom remained silent for a few more seconds, then turned her attention back at the food in front of her.

For a moment, Sanji thought he might have blown it. _"Oh well… at least I managed to get the bracelets off. I'll think of some other way to help Jimbei later."_

It had been less than 5 minutes since Sanji presented his work to Big Mom, and now everything had been finished. (yeah, she _definitely_ rivaled Luffy)

"My boy, that was a marvelous dinner! You are a true wonder!" she seemed to have genuinely enjoyed it.

"I'm glad you liked it. Thanks to you, I think my nerves have calmed down. Let me just dispose these empty dishes and I will leave you to rest." He went to pick up the first plate closest to him, but was stopped in his tracks.

"No need for that. My servants can take care of the dishes." She stated, as she went to a nearby desk, and started rummaging through it for something.

"Oh, well… alright then. Have a pleasant night." Sanji decided that now was probably a good time to bail out of there.

"Sanji." She called out to him.

"Yes?"

" _Did she see through everything?"_

"Take these with you." She tossed him a keychain with a few keys on it. He caught it in his hand and stared at the keys as she further explained. "Those are the keys to Jimbei's cell. The guard protecting the entrance to the dungeon will let you through. You can use any of the kitchens you'd like to prepare a meal for Jimbei. Now go and make me proud… son." She smiled at the final word.

Sanji firmly grasped the keys in his hand. "I will, and thank you… um, mother." He returned the gesture.

"Don't think I'm doing this for free though! In exchange, I want you to cook for me sometime soon again." She added with a laugh.

"Of course. Whenever you'd like." With a respective bow, Sanji excused himself from the Emperor's chamber.

He was outside again, barely believing how everything had played out so smoothly. He would've even danced a small victory dance, if he wasn't in such a hurry. Wasting no time, he immediately began searching for the nearest kitchen. There was still more cooking to be done. Something for Jimbei… and Luffy.

* * *

Approximately one hour later, he was already pushing a food cart towards his new objective. He had asked a few servants for directions to the dungeon, and sure enough he soon spotted the guard standing in front of it.

" _Good thing I'm not as bad with directions like that moss head…"_ Hehe, that idiot Zoro. He almost missed the sword-wielding douche by now… _almost._

"Halt! Who are you, and what business do you have here?" the guard demanded.

"Sanji Vinsmoke. I'm here to see Jimbei. I need to talk to him."

"Oh… right. You have permission to enter. Just make sure he doesn't surprise ya, and gets away!"

" _I think he'll be the surprised one, once he sees me…"_

"You don't have to worry about me, I can handle myself." Sanji brushed off the guard's concerns.

"Alright, move along then. Just keep heading forward and you'll find his cell. Can't miss him really – he's the big blue guy." The guard opened the entrance to the dungeon, and let Sanji through.

The dungeon was pretty dark, since no natural light source could penetrate it, but thankfully there were many sconces with candles and torches on the path. The only problem was, that the mentioned candles and torches were homies as well.

" _Shit. I have to be careful what I say_ _ **here**_ _too…"_

He kept looking to his left and right, scanning each cell he passed by for the prisoner he was looking for. The dungeon itself was surprisingly empty. Empty of **living** prisoners that is. All he saw was bones and carcasses in the cells. Apparently, you don't last long if you're in Big Mom's custody.

And finally, there it was. The cell he was looking for. The large fishman inside looked rather beaten and bloodied. Each of his limbs were shackled against the wall, keeping him standing upright, but his head was slumped down.

" _I sure hope he's just asleep."_

After a few failed attempts, Sanji found the right key and unlocked the cell, he then pushed the food cart inside, and locked the metal gate after himself. Slowly approaching the warlord, he was relieved to notice that Jimbei was indeed still breathing, and only sleeping. He placed his right hand on Jimbei's shoulder, slowly shaking the slumbering whale shark fishman, in order to wake him up.

"Oi! Jimbei! Wake up!"

Jimbei's eyes groggily opened up, and he lifted his head to stare at his newly arrived tormentor, only to be shocked by the appearance of one of the last people he expected to be here.

"Sanji-dono!? Why are you-mmph!?" Sanji quickly covered Jimbei's mouth with his right hand, and used his left to place his index finger over his own mouth, indicating to Jimbei to stay quiet.

"The walls have ears, Jimbei." Sanji whispered.

Jimbei nodded in understanding.

"I see."

They both began to speak in ushered voices after that.

"What are you doing here, Sanji-dono?" asked the incredulous fishman.

"We'll have plenty of time for me to explain all the details when we get out of here, but first let me get you out of these shackles." Sanji proceeded to try the different keys on the shackles, successfully managing to free both of Jimbei's legs first, then his hands. Jimbei slumped to the ground from exhaustion, while Sanji noticed something odd about the shackles.

"Hold on… these are made of Sea-Prism stone. Why would they chain you up in them?" It didn't make sense to him.

Jimbei lowered his head in shame. "It was all a clever trick. They let me starve here, and the first meal they brought me had a Devil Fruit cut in small pieces meshed inside of it…" Jimbei's eyes watered. "They made me a Devil Fruit user, Sanji-dono! I am no longer able to swim in the vast oceans of the world! What kind of fishman am I now?!" He had planted his head against the ground by now.

Sanji's eyes became wide with the news.

" _I see. So this was the punishment they were talking about…"_

A few tears finally rolled down Jimbei's face. "How will I face my crewmates again? The "Knight of the Sea" Jimbei is no more."

Sanji put a reassuring hand on Jimbei's back. "Jimbei, I'm pretty sure your crew would be happy to see you alive, no matter if you're able to swim or not."

"No. Becoming a hammer in the ocean is considered a great humiliation among my kind." Argued the fishman.

"You know what's even more humiliating? Dying, after giving up and sulking. And I know you are better than that. Now get it together so we can bust out of here. Luffy needs our help as soon as possible Jimbei."

Jimbei lifted his head at that. "Luffy-dono is here as well?"

"Yes. And he's probably fighting as we speak, so we have to hurry." Sanji was already placing the food cart in front of Jimbei. "Now eat up, you're probably starving again… try to regain as much strength as you can, but leave some food for Luffy as well – he's going to need it."

Jimbei nodded in understanding for the second time, since he had woken up, and wiped his tears on one of his sleeves. "Thank you Sanji-dono. I am beyond grateful to you." He took the nearest large piece of meat from the cart, and started scarfing it down. This wouldn't take long.

Sanji smiled at the sight in front of him. He was glad Jimbei had resolution in his eyes again. And it always brought him joy to watch a hungry person appreciate his food. He decided that he had a few minutes to light a cigarette, before they leave.

Suddenly a curious question popped inside his head. "By the way, do you know what Devil Fruit they gave you?"

The whale shark paused from eating only to answer: "I apologies... but I'm afraid I have no idea. They didn't tell me a thing."

Sanji had thought as much. "Well, whatever. You'll figure it out eventually."

Puffing out some smoke, he took the moment to contemplate on the hard choice he was about to make. After all, he hadn't figured out a way to fix **all** of his problems.

" _Owner Zeff… I'm sorry. No matter how much I rack my brain, I can't figure out a way to guarantee your safety in East Blue."_ He knew that what he was doing at the moment, most likely spelled a death sentence for his long time mentor and father-figure, but he also knew something else…

" _If you knew that I had the chance to help my friends that are in danger, and yet I stayed behind and did nothing, so I could save you… You'd call me a stupid moron and beat my ass into oblivion for it…"_ He softly chuckled at the thought. That really was something old man Zeff would do. The fighting chefs at the Baratie were no pushovers. They wouldn't go down without a fight.

" _Please, stay safe my friends. I'll find a way to contact you once all this is over."_

His musings were interrupted by Jimbei.

"Sanji-dono, I believe I've had enough. I feel much better thanks to your help." Jimbei used the white cover from the food cart as an improvised bag to gather what was left of the food. "Let's get the rest of this food to Luffy's location." He flung the bag over his right shoulder.

"Good. Let's move." Sanji agreed.

"So, how are we going to leave?" asked a puzzled Jimbei.

Sanji smirked. "That wall behind you doesn't look so tough." He slowly approached it, noting the poor materials that were used for its making. Who in their right mind would use candy for building materials? "They obviously thought the Sea-Prism stone would be enough to keep you in check. Big mistake." Sanji armamented his leg with Haki, and delivered one fierce kick right at the middle of it. The wall started cracking at the center, and soon fell apart. There was now a big enough crater for the both of them to pass. Salvation was a jump away.

Jimbei smirked as well. "Impressive as always, Sanji-dono."

Sanji looked at the horizon. _"Luffy… Nami-san… Hold on for just a bit longer. Help is on the way."_

* * *

 **I still believe in you Sanji! Bust your way out of this situation, and go save your captain and the girl you really love XD.**

 **Btw… I've also made a tribute for ch. 844, but I've left it unfinished at around 75%, because ch. 845 came a day earlier than expected… Should I finish it and post it? Or is there no point in doing that? Please tell me your opinions on this…**

 **Again – keep in mind that English is not my mother language, so there are bound to be some mistakes, here and there.**

 **Did you enjoy the read? Good, then don't forget to leave a review. Be a pal, and tell me what you honestly think :)**


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